Yieldable arresting or indexing arrangements are fairly common in automated meat processing equipment. One well known application is in rotatable carcass hangers for poultry processing conveyors and examples are described in EP 0444782, EP 0786208, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,815. All of these known arresting means rely on ball detents that are biased into recesses by the force of a helical spring. The necessary springs and cavities to house these present a serious hazard of bacterial contamination, which is objectionable in the meat processing industry. Although regular cleaning of the equipment is aimed at minimizing the hazard of bacterial infection, the risk itself could not effectively be eliminated with the known yieldable arresting means. Apart from rotatable carcass hangers, yieldable arresting means can also find application in various other parts of meat processing equipment, including bone holders.
Accordingly it is an aspect of the present invention to propose an improved yieldable arresting means for arresting relatively movable elements of meat processing equipment in at least one predetermined position of relative movement. In a more general sense it is an aspect of the present invention to at least overcome or ameliorate one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art. It is also an aspect of the present invention to at least provide alternative structures which are less cumbersome in manufacture and use and which can be made and used relatively inexpensively. At any rate the present invention is at the very least aimed at offering a useful choice and contribution to the existing art.